'Hush' Author at YJCC

The author of Hush, known pseudonymously as Eishes Chayil, will be at the Bergen County YJCC for the organization’s book club meeting featuring her book at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6. The public is invited to attend; admission is $5. The YJCC is located at 605 Pascack Road, Township of Washington.

“Eishes Chayil” translates as “woman of valor” and refers to a Shabbat song in honor of women. The author, who was raised in the Chasidic world, chose to write under a pseudonym in order to protect her family and friends from, as she refers to it, “community retribution.” However, in the wake of the abduction and murder of 8-year-old Leiby
Kletzky last July, she chose to reveal her true identity in an essay in the Huffington Post entitled “Orthodox Jewish Child Abuse: Shattering a Traumatic Silence.”

“I no longer want to be known only as Eishes Chayil when my name is Judy Brown,” she said. “I must find the courage to stand with the victims who carry the burden of our silence for the rest of their lives.”

Hush takes the reader into the world of Brooklyn’s Chasidic community with its joy and celebration, and sometimes, its secrets. The book is at times humorous, at times horrifying— and always a reflection of a world that looks simple on the surface while the reality is extraordinarily complex. Hush is classified as young adult fiction, but it resonates with adult readers for its glimpse into this unfamiliar world and its honest confrontation of challenging
issues.

For more information, contact Jill Brown, (201) 666-6610, ext. 5812 or jbrown@yjcc.org.